Ad Avis
Ad Avis is an evil wizard of immense power, and the primary antagonist in the second and fourth installments of the series. Power-hungry and manipulative, Ad Avis has spent decades in preparation for his takeover of Gloriana, and he shall not allow these efforts to pass in vain. He is capable of a wide array of magical abilities from the animation of the elements to mind-control and subversion of his enemies. Background Ad Avis had always been an evil meglomaniac who wanted to rule the world. He hated women, believed they should all be locked away in harems. He studied magic, and soon he entered the Wizard's Institute of Technocery and obtained the rank of Wizard, but he desired greater knowledge and power. Therefore he sought the great necromancer, the Dark Master in the land of SilmariaQFG4 Hintbook, 76, to learn forbidden spells and dark magic. It was to his horror that he discovered that the Dark Master was a woman, Katrina. Moreover she was a more powerful wizard than he, and though she taught him many things, she bound him to her will, and made him her servant.QFG4 Hintbook, 44 He served the Dark Master for seventy years, all the while awaiting the fulfillment of a prophecy regarding the return of the evil Djinn Iblis. Ad Avis spent most of these decades serving Katrina honing the magical ability to hypnotize and control other men. He fled from her, but not before she gave him the "gift" of "Life Eternal after Death" by biting him and forcing him to drink her own blood. He travelled to Raseir where he pulled his power play, becoming Wazir, and took over the city. He knew from research that the time would soon be right to release the terrible Marad Iblis, and that he needed a Hero, to find Iblis in the Forbidden City.QFG4 Hintbook, 44-45 Some time before the events of the first game, he deposed the Emir of Raseir (transforming him into a Saurus) and put the Emir's weak, cowardly brother on the throne as his puppet. He installed his loyal henchman, Khaveen, as captain of the city guard. Not long afterward, he devastated Raseir by drying up its magical fountain, while Khaveen drove out most of the resident Katta. Ad Avis had the new Emir impose open slavery and forced all the women to wear veils and remain indoors. When the Sultan of Shapier sent an army to investigate, a fierce sand storm prevented them from reaching the city. The Sultan wisely guessed the storm was deliberate and magical and chose not to return, fearing for the lives of his brave men. Events in the Series Efforts to Summon Iblis By the beginning of Trial by Fire, Rasier has become almost completely deserted. Those who remain live under the iron grip of Khaveen and his ruthless guards. Ad Avis remains largely out of sight, not wanting to draw the attention of other spellcasters in the world. He uses his immense powers to create a magical shroud over Rasier, preventing any magic user from using their abilities to see the city from afar. It is implied he does not allow anyone who even knows his name to remain free long. He has also mastered the ability to turn humans into animals and other fantastic creatures. In addition to the Emir, he transforms his apprentice, Al Scurva, into a strange creature and leaves him to die in a cage in the desert. When the Hero restores Al Scurva, Ad Avis becomes truly aware of the Hero. A few days after arriving in Raseir, Ad Avis has the hero arrested after a couple of days. When the Hero quickly escapes Khaveen's dungeon, Ad Avis finds him in the city and hypnotizes him into serving his will. Going out to the Forbidden City of Suleiman, Ad Avis forces the Hero to enter the lost city and retrieve the statue that contains the evil Djinn Iblis. Ad Avis leaves the Hero to die in the city once he has Iblis, but unfortunately did not properly read the prophecy he sought to take advantage of. He dies when the Hero knocks him from a tower where he is attempting to summon the demon Iblis. Supposed Death In Quest for Glory III: Wages of War during an introductory flashback, Aziza gives the chilling news that Ad Avis' body was never found after his death. She also notes that his death discharged an enormous amount of unstable magical energy, the shockwave of which could be felt by powerful magic users worldwide. It is suggested by Rakeesh that this release actually widened the World Gate in Tarna, allowing a Demon Wizard to enter Glorianna and set into motion the events of the game. At the very end of Wages of War, as the hero stands triumphant alongside his allies, he is swept away by an all-encompassing field of dark magic. In a cliffhangar scene for Shadows of Darkness, Ad Avis and his robed master are seen watching the hero menacingly through a crystal ball. Attempted Revenge In the fourth game, Ad Avis has been resurrected as a vampire in Mordavia. The Hero learns that, years ago, Katrina defeated Ad Avis in a duel and then bit him. Ad Avis was infected by her vampire bite, and so, after he was killed by the Hero, he became a nosferatu in Katrina's service. Ad Avis cannot harm Katrina unless she harms him first, since he is in effect her vampire descendant. Katrina seeks to summon the Hero as part of her bid to awaken a Dark One, Avoozl, a powerful entity that will plunge the world into eternal darkness (thus relieving them of the need to retreat to their coffins during the day). Unfortunately, due to the powerful influence of the Dark One's Cave in Mordavia, the Hero does not arrive in their spell circle but rather in the Cave itself. Katrina decides to manipulate the Hero, recognizing that he may need his free will to help her retrieve the rituals needed to awaken Avoozl. Ad Avis constantly argues with her, insisting that the Hero cannot be trusted and that he will have his revenge on them both. He unsuccessfully tries to trick the Hero into killing Katrina. During the ceremony to summon Avoozl, Ad Avis (aware of Katrina's feelings for the Hero) attacks the hero in a calculated attempt to destroy both his enemies; Katrina then attacks Ad Avis and allows him to engage her in battle. Ad Avis goads Katrina into sacrificing herself by putting herself between the Hero and Ad Avis, resulting in her death by Avoozl. However, his arrogance proves his undoing and the Hero, with the help of Erana's Staff, finishes him once and for all. Personality Ad Avis is depicted as a very powerful wizard in both of his appearances. In the second game, he creates four elementals to attack the city of Shapier; he also employs a spell that can transform people into a creature that reflects their inner soul. In both games, he possesses a hypnotic gaze. He is also portrayed as a misogynist who deeply resents Katrina's domination. Mayzun, a character in the second game, describes him as having a "snake's eyes" and says he hates "all women." As a vampire, his disposition was ever more sour, and he is reviled by anyone he meets, including the humble Gatekeeper and the Goon Guards in the Castle Borgov. Without a doubt, Ad Avis is perhaps one of the most sinister and self-centered antagonists in the entire series. Whereas characters such as Baba Yaga and Katrina have their own multi-faceted personalities, Ad Avis is shown to be incredibly power hungry and will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. In Shadows of Darkness, sickened by what he has become, Ad Avis is hell-bent on achieving revenge on the Hero after killing him previously - he becomes one of the most sinister and hateful characters in the entire series, and with his vast reserve of powers, perhaps the closest thing to true evil, unlike any foe faced by the Hero before. Titles *Wizard of the Southern Sands *Enchanter of Elements *Dark One *Dark MasterPyotr (QFG4):You serve two Dark Masters. Their goal is greater Darkness.", "But beware your own Dark Masters, for they will bring you sorrow." Behind the scenes *He is named in honor of Sierra's creative director Bill Davis. *He has the nickname, the Dark OneQFG2, similar to Avoozl. References Category:Villains Category:Vampires Category:Wizards Category:Characters (QFG2) Category:Characters (QFG3) Category:Characters (QFG4) Category:Hoyle 3